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The original title of this post was “Gym Rat”, but since I limped almost a mile home from my run this morning, I decided to delve a bit deeper into my vocabulary and psyche and find the truth here. What I have discovered is that it’s really about the repercussions of perfidy, with a touch of James Cameron thrown in for good measure…

I recently joined a local gym to learn how the equipment works. I want to help some of my personal training clients who have gym memberships; my personal trainer certification course did not include learning the functions and use of gym equipment. If a client really loves the gym and that works for them, I need to be able to adjust their exercise prescription to accommodate what they want. I also thought it would be a great opportunity to mix up my workouts. After the amazing Body Combat class I attended with my friend Charlene, I realized how much I loved the way it felt to move my body so differently. The gym I joined is very affordable and only about 10 minutes away from home. It’s open every day from 5 am to 11 pm, and offers a few classes. Not Body Combat, but kick-boxing, spinning, and kettle bell classes.

I learned on my first visit that I should have made an initial appointment if I wanted someone to show me around. I also learned that the gym has a solid core of members, many of them also personal trainers. Friendly faces greeted me as I made my way around the machine circuit, and a woman who was working out stopped to show me how to use an entire roomful of machines. She was tiny and unbelievably strong, without a lick of judgment. She quickly demonstrated upper body and lower body moves, then waved me on each piece to try. She kindly adjusted the weights so I could actually perform a set of reps on each one without rupturing my muscles.

My second visit included another learning session, this time with a kind and patient man. He took his time instructing me on equipment I had not yet tried. He showed me how to check my form in the mirrors. Every wall in the gym is mirrored! I felt self-conscious and had a hard time focusing, but after a little while, I got into it and felt like Wonder Woman after an hour.

I met one of my clients on the third visit, and was able to go through most of the gym fairly knowledgeably, planning out a program for either a fast, intense workout or a longer, more relaxed one. We used the treadmills and the elliptical machines last, and reviewed intervals on both. I left him jogging on a treadmill, both of us satisfied with the new plan.

I made three trips to the gym last week. Some muscles ached a little bit, but overall I felt pretty good. I ran before I went each time, not trusting I would get an adequate workout without it, and also because the thought of not running outside was unbearable. I have found a couple of things I love: a pull-up assist machine, an upright core machine, and a weighted squat machine. All three give me the support I need to work upper body, core, and lower body in a fresh new way.

I have also found a couple of things I strongly dislike: the elliptical and the treadmill. One of the best aspects of running for me is the satisfaction of landing. I was not aware of this until I used the elliptical for 15 minutes. I felt like I was in the film Avatar. I remembered when the avatars ran, they seemed to glide, barely touching their feet to the ground. Each time my leg came down, it just slid behind me. My quads seemed like they were about to explode. I could not find a rhythm, could not find a cadence that made me feel grounded. And that grounded feeling translates to my mind and all that I am when I run.

Another aspect of running that satisfies me is movement. Specifically, forward movement. The treadmill is stationary, even though I’m running. I could not let go of the feeling of being out of control, of being about to fall. A nasty sensation of not being in the driver’s seat (or the runner’s feet?) overwhelmed me as the belt went around and around beneath me. I held the side handles for dear life, raising the incline to 12 to try and lose that feeling. 12 was fine, actually, since I like hills, but not really what I wanted in terms of running. Here’s where the perfidy comes in. To top it all off I felt guilty, as if I were cheating on my one true fitness love. Even as my legs spun around and around the belt, I found myself fantasizing about being outdoors, feeling the air against my skin, my feet softly landing on the ground like butterfly kisses over and over again.

My running partner Sue and I went to the gym together on Sunday. She showed me her regular upper body routine, I showed her some of the lower body machines I had learned, we did core work together, then we split. She hopped on one of the elliptical machines while I finished a circuit I liked from last week. I joined her for and extra 15 minutes of cardio. Right away my left quad started to twinge. Avatar! Avatar! I just wanted it to be over. I wanted the real me. Outside.

So—lots of new moves, and extra workout time. I should be feeling pretty good. But I miss my free weights. I miss my living room. I miss the plyometrics and balance work. And although I am still running outside, I somehow sense an ugly, passionless infidelity when I am at the gym.

Now for the repercussions.

This morning I planned to run the usual six miles. The cold spring air opened my heart and my mind; I decided to go on to Halibut Point. I have finally figured out a loop from the street that takes me through the park and all I could think about was the view of the sea from that long dirt road, with the feel of the earth beneath my feet. The connection between mind and body is strongest in this place.

My left quad started feeling cranky as I exited the park. I slowed down, easing my way along the side of Granite Street. I foolishly turned onto Curtis Street, then Stockholm, thinking that the pain would subside. I slowed even more when I turned down Story Street, and took it easy all the way to Beach Street, skipping the lovely downhill sprint I adore. I wanted to run home.

I made it to the bandstand by Back Beach before listening to my body and giving in. I walked the last .8 miles home, shoving the pain and fear back down each time it rose up inside me. I fought back tears, trying to distract myself from the throbbing ache in my thigh and the acute awareness of the short two months until the Twin Lights Half Marathon. I hobbled through my front door, swearing my allegiance to what works for me, ready to heal and get back to training for my first half marathon out in the real world.

The gym is kind of a weird place, but there are definitely things I like about it. Only took a 3 month membership, we’ll see how that goes. Am completely recovered, actually by the next day, although I did take that one day off from running. Resumed regular routine with no ill effects.
Cannot wait for the half-marathon! Just finishing will be fine with me… Thanks for reading!!!